Align Technology

Philanthropy

One of the many things that makes Align a great place to work is the concern our employees have for the world around us and our commitment to helping others. As a company and as individual employees, we have dedicated our time, talents, and resources to organizations and programs that make positive differences in the lives of others. Our philanthropic philosophy is to support organizations whose visions tie closely to our own - improving smiles, supporting, and educating youth/teens, and empowering our customers through partnerships with learning institutions and foundations. Globally, we provide opportunities for and actively encourage employees to support local charities through volunteerism, team building, and donation programs. We are extremely proud of our corporate commitment to philanthropic work and are equally proud of the generosity and dedication of our employees. This passion is core to our purpose of transforming smiles and changing lives, and in times of need, how we support our employees, customers, and communities is more important than ever before. Launched in 2020, the Align Foundation provides a structured means by which significant donations are directed from a donor-advised fund overseen by Fidelity Charitable, with the flexibility to provide smaller monetary donations, processes to donate our products, as well as an organized way to involve our employees in giving activities. Since the donor advised fund inception in 2020, we have granted almost $3 million to non-profits and NGOs around the world.

Globally, we provide opportunities for and actively encourage employees to support local charities through volunteerism, team building, and donation programs and are extremely proud of our corporate commitment to philanthropic work and are equally proud of the generosity and dedication of our employees.

Our partnership with Benevity, a corporate purpose platform, continues to transform our workplace, culture, and the communities where we live and work. It is a platform, internally called impact@align, where employees can find ways to make a difference through volunteer activities, donation opportunities, charitable education, ad hoc matching programs, and volunteer rewards.

We held our 6th annual Month of Smiles in October 2023, where each of our more than 22,000 employees are encouraged to participate and make a positive difference through volunteerism, charitable donations, fundraising activities, and intentional acts of goodness. Although the Month of Smiles happens in October, the giving continues through the rest of the year, and we are continuously amazed with the participation by and impact of our employees.

In addition to our employee month of service, there are several organizations and programs we support:

Operation Smile

Since 2013, we have been a proud supporter of Operation Smile, a global medical nonprofit providing hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for people born with cleft lips and cleft palates in low and middle-income countries. For the third year, we sponsored Operation Smile’s International Student Leadership Conference, a powerful opportunity for high schoolers around the world to change lives and change their own. As part of our sponsorship, we provided scholarships for 24 participants from 8 different countries plus an additional 10 scholarships for students personally impacted with a cleft condition. As of December 31, 2023, we had donated approximately $2.7 million to Operation Smile including a donation of $1 million to Operation Smile in honor of our 10 million Invisalign smiles milestone. In recognition of our support, Align received Operation Smile's Corporate Humanitarian Award. “We are so appreciative of the dedication and support from Align Technology over the years and are excited for what we can do to bring families renewed hope and help children around the world smile even more as a result of this latest donation,” said Kristie Magee Porcaro, chief strategy officer, Operation Smile. “Together, we’re improving the health of many children and ensuring that they have the opportunity for a better future.”

Experience the 2023 International Student Leadership Conference here:

America’s ToothFairy

For 16 years we have supported America’s ToothFairy, an organization with a mission to increase access to oral health care and education for underserved children in the United States by supporting nonprofit clinics and community partners. As of December 31, 2023, we have provided almost $2 million for the foundation’s operational expenses and children’s oral health programs. With our support in 2023, more than 1.3 million children living with restricted access to care in communities across the country received dental care and/or oral health instruction through America’s ToothFairy programs and the safety-net dental clinics they support, a 54% increase over the prior year.

We are proud to support an organization that is helping families in underserved communities learn about oral health and the best ways to maintain a healthy smile,” said Align’s Vice President of Philanthropy, Inclusion, and Wellness and America’s ToothFairy Board Secretary, Julie Paulsen. “We are delighted to sponsor the HERO Program and support the efforts of America’s ToothFairy, whose vision is closely tied to Align’s purpose – to transform smiles and change lives.” You can find more about America’s ToothFairy here .

Cristo Rey San José High School

Align has partnered with Cristo Rey San José High School since 2017 through their corporate work study program and mentoring programs. This provides a diverse workforce of students who receive valuable work skills, confidence, and professional role models.

Junior Achievement (JA)
In honor of Align's 25th Anniversary in 2022, the company donated $250,000 to support the important work that JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide does to prepare young people for work and career readiness while developing critical life skills. As the world’s largest youth-serving NGO, JA Worldwide prepares young people for employment and entrepreneurship through hands on, experiential learning. They create pathways for employability, job creation, and financial success and each year, their network of over 500,000 volunteers and teachers serves more than 10 million students in over 100 countries. We have held several volunteer opportunities with JA including sponsorship and volunteering at annual JA SHE LEADS STEM summits and hosting a STEM summit in 2022 and in 2023 held the first artificial intelligence career summit for high school students at our Innovation Center in San Jose, California. Our support of JA globally and in sites such as San Jose culminated in a nomination for induction into Junior Achievement’s Business Hall of Fame.

In 2023, Align was recognized by JA NorCal. "We are proud to share that Align Technology was honored as the Technology Partner of the Year at the 2023 Junior Achievement of Northern California (@janorcal), Business Hall of Fame and Julie Paulsen, vice president, Philanthropy, Inclusion, and Wellness at Align was nominated as a 2023 “Junior Achievement of Northern California Volunteer of the Year.”

Throughout the year, Align hosts mentoring and educational opportunities for students, including a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career summit to encourage interest in future careers and support JA’s mission to empower students toward economic success.

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We have also established programs to support our doctors that treat patients who may not be well-suited for wearing and managing fixed appliances due to health issues, allergies, disabilities or specific health disorders through discounted fees and other support. In both Canada and the United States, Invisalign® product donation programs bring smiles to young individuals. Through Align’s Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) program, Invisalign-trained doctors collaborate to provide a straight smile to young patients dealing with health conditions. Since 2019, Align has extended a helping hand to over 200 patients by waiving the lab fees for their treatments through the ARK program.

In 2023, Align established programs with non-profit organizations that offer an affordable option for families who cannot bear the full cost of teeth straightening treatment for their children. As part of this program, with Smiles Change Lives and Smile for a Lifetime, Align waives lab fees and enables treatments through Invisalign-trained doctors who donate their time, skills, and practice resources.

Philanthropy Highlight- United Way Chihuahua

Employees at our site in Juarez, Mexico which represents our largest aggregate employee population, have a longstanding partnership with United Way Chihuahua, an organization that advocates for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. Through our site’s voluntary payroll deduction program, our Juarez employees generously contributed over $85,000 USD to support United Way Chihuahua. Beyond monetary contributions, Juarez employees engaged in numerous volunteer events with United Way which served as avenues for employees to directly engage with the community, fostering meaningful connections and making tangible differences in the lives of those in need.

Inclusion

“At Align, we provide a vibrant employee experience that encourages inclusion and diversity, supports health and wellness, and inspires and develops personal and professional growth” - Stuart Hockridge, executive vice president, Human Resources

We welcome differences as opportunities for learning, overcoming challenges and thinking creatively. We serve customers and patients in over 100 countries, making inclusion, diversity and belonging essential for our growth. We are committed to building a workforce of diverse cultural backgrounds and life experiences through fair and balanced policies and practices. We were recognized in Newsweek’s list of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity in 2024.

A variety of employee resources and standards embody our commitment to inclusion and diversity, including our employee resource groups that focus on the professional development, recruitment, and cultural awareness of underrepresented groups. Our employee resource groups (ERGs) are based on shared characteristics or life experiences and are open to all employees, including those who do not directly identify with other members but are passionate in supporting the group’s members in creating an educated, supportive, and inclusive culture.

At Align, we are fortunate to have a smart, diverse, and agile global team of employees. It’s imperative that we provide a vibrant employee experience and value our employees’ collective voices. We encourage active listening and development of healthy and respectful relationships in which employees can openly and honestly express their thoughts, opinions, hopes and concerns for the betterment of the organization and all its stakeholders. We value our employees’ collective voices and as a result utilize a continuous employee listening strategy that includes globally managed pulse surveys, employee lifecycle surveys, and a self-service feature to support listening efforts for our global employees have a continuous listening strategy. We leverage survey results and comments to seek ways to make positive changes throughout the organization.

Align’s core values of agility, customer, and accountability are more than words to work by, they are words we live by. The actions we take every day speak to who we are as a company and our focus on being truly impactful. We celebrate our differences, and the many ways we support one another— ultimately creating a more inclusive organization and world as we continue transforming smiles and changing lives.

Inclusion Highlight- Women in Leadership

Our leadership programs and global women@align chapters offer and encourage networking, professional development, leadership mentoring, and educational projects. The intent is to attract, develop, and retain talented women while engaging all employees. As part of our commitment, we have initiated programs and dedicated resources aimed at recruiting, monitoring, and enhancing programs designed to achieve our goals.

Awards and recognitions

We have received numerous awards for our positive work environment and culture. Some of the certifications, awards and recognitions recognized or received in 2023 and 2024 include:

U.S. News & World Report - Best Companies to Work For and Best Companies to Work For in the Health Care Industry
Forbes - World’s Best Employers
Great Places to Work and Best Places to Work based on our employee-validated great workplaces in the following countries, Australia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Germany, India, Italy, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, Vietnam and United States (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Best Places to Work for Women in Korea
Computerworld - Best Place to Work in IT, based on its survey of organizations across the U.S. to identify those that provide the best benefits and amenities for IT professionals
Dun & Bradstreet - Top Tech Companies to Work for in Israel
LinkedIn - Top Companies to Grow Your Career in Israel and Poland
Mercer - Outstanding Women Care Award in China

Health and Wellness

We offer a wide variety of robust programs and initiatives designed to promote the overall health and welfare of all our employees and their families. Every year, we have a month dedicated to well-being, called Month of Wellness. Throughout the Month of Wellness, employees participate in a variety of activities such as informational sessions and health fairs and receive useful resources aligned to our wellness pillars - mental resilience, physical well-being and healthy living, social/family connections, and financial wellness. This provides our employees with a variety of meaningful ways to embrace wellness and well-being including mindfulness, meditation, nutrition and mental wellness activities, exercise, hikes, yoga, volunteer activities, financial education sessions, social events, and stress management.

We have implemented extensive training programs focused on keeping our employees safe while on our premises and while working remotely.

We offer compensation that is competitive in our industry so employees can feel financially secure and can in turn contribute to the well-being of their families and the economies and communities in which they live.

Health and Safety

We prioritize the health, safety and well-being of our employees and their families. Our objective is to prevent injuries and occupational illnesses by creating and maintaining environments that are safe. We offer a wide variety of robust programs and initiatives designed to promote the overall health and welfare of all our employees and their families. In addition to the compensation and benefits listed above, we offer family support services, healthcare initiatives and career services support, among many others. In addition, we have comprehensive health and safety programs established to protect our employees. For instance, we have training programs and courses that employees exposed to particular risks are required to take and update periodically. Examples include hazardous material training, emergency response and evacuation training, ergonomics training, biohazard and personal protective equipment training, and, more recently, COVID-19 related safety training.

We have an Environmental Health, Safety and Sustainability Director who is responsible for ensuring health and safety programs are maintained and effective at each of our locations. Major worksites, such as our aligner fabrication sites, and large offices have dedicated Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) teams that ensure health and safety programs are maintained while contributing Best Management Practices (BMP) and general input to corporate-wide programs. Each EHS department is responsible for ensuring all employees at their location are properly trained on various EHS topics and at the appropriate frequencies. A training suite is determined for each employee depending on their responsibilities and function modeled off ISO 45001:2018.

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Corporate social responsibility

Throughout our history, as a company and as individual employees, we have dedicated our time, talents, and resources to organizations and programs that make a positive difference in the lives of others.