Digimarc Enables One of the CPG Industry’s Largest Global Rollouts of 2D Barcodes with Unilever, Improving Retail and Consumer Experience

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Digimarc Corporation (NASDAQ: DMRC), a global leader in digital watermarking and product digitization technologies, today announced it will deploy one of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry's largest global implementations of GS1 Digital Link-enabled 2D barcodes with Unilever.

This rollout will put Unilever at the forefront of the retail industry’s preparation for Sunrise 2027, when 2D barcodes become standard at point-of-sale worldwide. It will also make Unilever one of the first companies to anticipate and adopt the European Union’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) regulation, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and accessibility.

"We are proud to be leading the industry in pioneering how we help democratise access to product information," said Aaron Rajan, Vice President - Consumer Technology, Unilever. "Deploying innovative solutions such as Digimarc Engage means that our unmissably superior brands not only keep pace with technological advancements but also shape the future of retail.

“Unilever’s multi-phased rollout will ultimately integrate 2D barcodes across 45,000 products (SKUs), spanning iconic brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Hellmann’s and Knorr.”

2D barcodes, an advanced version of traditional barcodes, can store large amounts of data in a small, scannable and accessible format on packaging. Specifically, 2D barcodes have the potential to connect consumers to key resources online, including details on nutrition, recipes, and usage instructions. By adopting this innovative technology across its packaging, Unilever aims to improve product data accessibility and deliver superior experiences for both retail partners and shoppers. It also enables a future-ready solution to meet regulatory requirements and keep pace with industry shifts.

"Unilever sets a benchmark for the CPG and retail sectors. Beyond revolutionizing point-of-sale processes, these solutions empower brands to foster deeper consumer connections, build loyalty, and unlock transformative data insights in the era of AI-driven decision-making,” said Ken Sickles, Chief Product Officer, Digimarc. “This also paves the way to making products truly accessible for everyone.”

As a leader in the development of the GS1 Digital Link standard, Digimarc has been instrumental in advancing industry-wide adoption. Digimarc Engage, built on the Illuminate platform, integrates GS1 Digital Link capabilities with dynamic intelligence, enabling brands to create a direct, personalized communication channel with consumers. This innovation supports regulatory initiatives like Europe’s DPP while facilitating industry-wide transformations such as Sunrise 2027.

About Digimarc

Digimarc Corporation (NASDAQ: DMRC) is the pioneer and global leader in digital watermarking technologies. For nearly 30 years, Digimarc innovations and intellectual property in digital watermarking have been deployed at a massive scale for the identification and the authentication of physical and digital items. A notable example is our partnership with a consortium of the world’s central banks to deter counterfeiting of global currency. Digimarc is also instrumental in supporting global industry standards efforts spanning both the physical and digital worlds. In 2023, Digimarc was named to the Fortune 2023 Change the World list and honored as a 2023 Fast Company World Changing Ideas finalist. Learn more at Digimarc.com.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 128,000 employees and generated sales of €60.8 billion in 2024.

For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unilever.com.