Our Commitment

Digimarc understands that contributing to a sustainable future involves—not just creating innovative software and services—but paying attention to how we conduct everyday business in our cubicles, employee meeting rooms and break rooms. We’re proud of being a software company with limited GHG emissions and that our employees took the initiative and formed the “Green Team” to ensure our internal practices are sustainable and reflect our priorities and values.

The Digimarc Green Team is made up of employees from all departments and all levels of the company, and is dedicated to promoting internal Digimarc sustainability practices. For instance, it has implemented an Environmental and Climate Change Policy. Other key initiatives include:

• Utilize 100% renewable wind energy to power our corporate office ⁽¹⁾, which accounts for nearly all of our energy usage. We continue to explore ways to reduce usage of any non-renewable energy while keeping our footprint small.

• Reduced our electricity usage at our corporate office by six percent from 2018 to 2019 and by four percent from 2019 to 2020 ⁽²⁾.

• Total electricity usage in 2020 was only 1.6 million kWh at a cost of $139,000. Starting in February 2020, all electricity comes from 100% renewable energy.

• Total natural gas usage at our corporate office in 2020 was only 1,162 therms at a cost of $1,150.

• Produced no scope 1 GHG emissions and a negligible amount of scope 2 GHG emissions in our operations. Scope 3 GHG emissions are limited to necessary employee air and ground travel ⁽³⁾.

• No toxic air emissions including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), particulate matter (PM), non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in operating our business other than from necessary employee air and ground travel ⁽³⁾.

• Reduced our water usage at our corporate office by 13 percent from 2018 to 2019 and by 34 percent from 2019 to 2020⁽⁴⁾.

• Total water usage was 907 hundred cubic feet at a cost of $3,250 and total electronic waste was less than 1.5 tons in 2020.

• Implemented a system for Environmental Management to identify and manage environmental risks and opportunities, which is led by the executive management team with oversight from the Governance, Nominating and Sustainability committee of the Board of Directors. Our environmental risk profile is very low given we use very little energy, and the energy we do use is mostly renewable energy, and we have responsible waste management and recycling practices.

• Created incentive programs for employees to reduce their carbon footprint and take public transportation to work or to carpool

• Collecting athletic shoes for the More Foundation Group, which takes the proceeds and funds MORE’s Reforestation Initiative and current One Million Tree project in Africa

• At EuroShop 2020, we participated in The Trillion Tree Campaign by donating a tree for each business card we received.

• Eliminating plastic and reducing food and other waste in the corporate office

• Recycling old electronic equipment with Green Century Recycling, which adheres to the recycling standards R2 2013, ISO14001 and OSHAS18001

• Recycling used batteries and light bulbs with Batteries + Bulbs who uses only EPA approved recycling facilities

• Sending print toner cartridges back to HP to reuse and recycle under their closed-loop recycling program

Our business goals work in tandem with the personal and professional goals of our employees. In fact, we see all these goals as mutually supporting efforts that form our unique culture. That’s why we make a great effort to provide avenues for employees to benefit from professional development programs and to grow as people. This is why we provide our employees with the time, money and support for their volunteer efforts.

Community-Minded

Digimarc matches employee donations to non-profit organizations and provides employees Volunteer Day-off (VTO) hours to assist a charitable organization of the employee's choice. Digimarc donated over $10,000 to charitable organizations as part of the Company's community outreach program and employees spent 91 hours of time during 2020 volunteering at various charities as part of the Company's VTO program.

Some of our employee activities and passions, include:

• Help underserved students achieve skills and talents in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

• Volunteer at organizations such as Habit for Humanity, In4All STEM Connect Program, Oregon Food Bank, Saturday Academy, MESA, Walk for Wishes and others

• Partner with the Good Neighbor Center to donate excess food from company events and meetings

• Support MECOP, a student internship collaboration with Oregon State University, connecting future professionals with real-work experience

Lifetime Learning & Development

We encourage our employees to continually deepen and perfect their professional skills. Our Human Resources team has developed a number of programs and policies to ensure employees have the resources and skills they need to thrive. This priority also includes programs that promote diversity and inclusion, so everyone feels and knows their voice, impact and contributions matter. We prioritize our employees’ well-being, emotionally and physically, and to that end we invest in benefits and programs to keep our employees and their families happy and healthy. These include:

• Performance management system to support continuous learning and development

• Online training programs, such as LinkedIn Learning, conferences, seminars, on-the-job training and skill certifications

• Company-provided Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with professional, confidential services to help employees and their loved ones improve their overall quality of life

• Programs and resources to foster inclusion and diversity in our culture

• Access to various innovative, flexible, and convenient health and wellness program

• Compensation package that includes market-competitive pay, stock grants, healthcare and retirement benefits, paid time off, family leave, sick leave and flexible work schedules

• Reporting tools for employees and other stakeholders to report conduct that may be in violation of our Code of Conduct

We understand that part of our employee and customer success depends on our ability to manage our business ethically, transparently and responsibly. Our Committee Charters and Codes of Conduct are all publicly available and, in conjunction with other internal policies, describe how we treat employees and key stakeholders and communicate our values and expectations.

We lean into our values when making strategic business decisions about products and services, and it is no different when choosing solution partners. Our partners possess the same focus on sustainability, transparency and efficiency across, not just supply chains, but across entire societies. Our business partners are required to follow our equal employment opportunity policies, as well as demonstrate their commitment to the highest business and societal ethics.

By partnering with Digimarc, companies can offer their customers value-added benefits that help contribute to sustainability. Some examples include:

Scale Manufacturers - By printing fresh labels with Digimarc watermarks, these companies can help retailers reduce food waste

Machine Vision & Barcode Detection Companies – Digimarc-enabled hardware helps consumer brands and retailers optimize their supply chains and reduce waste

Premedia Companies - Help their customers add Digimarc watermarks to packaging, bringing with it all the benefits of waste reduction in manufacturing and future recycling benefits

Packaging Suppliers – Adding serialized Digimarc watermarks to their customers’ packaging and labels is a critical value-add for companies looking to launch a traceability initiative

In addition to individual consumer brands, manufacturers, suppliers, and other organizations, we also partner with a number of professional and trade organizations that mirror our values and goals. To see a list of our recycling-related memberships, for example, click here.