TORONTO and TAMPA, FL, Dec. 11, 2019 /CNW/ - Cott Corporation (NYSE:COT; TSX:BCB) (the "Company" or "Cott"), a leading provider of home and office bottled water delivery services in North America and Europe and a leader in custom coffee roasting for the U.S. food service industry, today announced updates on its sustainability programs, including goals to manage its environmental footprint and the release of the latest sustainability report from S&D Coffee & Tea, a wholly-owned Cott subsidiary.

Rooted in Impact, the latest sustainability report from S&D Coffee, provides an update on progress made in the last two years to use S&D Coffee's scale and global reach to embed sustainability throughout its operations and supply chain. These efforts led to:

• Providing more than 4,600 smallholder farmers in six countries with tools and resources needed to optimize their farms' productivity,
• Conserving 40,000 gallons of water by implementing a gray water recycling program at S&D facilities, and
• Developing the Leadership Equity and Diversity (LEAD) Scholarship program with the Specialty Coffee Association, a two-year scholarship that provides professional development resources and mentoring for people from underrepresented and marginalized communities around the world.

"We are proud of the progress made by S&D to embed sustainability across its operations and value chain. Their efforts reflect Cott's ongoing commitment to sustainability," said Shayron Barnes-Selby, Cott's Vice President of Government Affairs and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Programs. "To expand our commitment, we also set environmental sustainability goals earlier this year to enhance our water stewardship practices and reduce our carbon footprint. These goals complement the company's existing sustainability practices, including those at S&D Coffee & Tea and Eden Springs, our European business unit."

Earlier this year, Cott announced environmental sustainability goals intended to accelerate the company's sustainable practices through:

• Elevating its water stewardship practices through compliance by 2025 with the Alliance for Water Stewardship international standards core criteria for key spring water sources, and
• Reducing its carbon footprint through reduced greenhouse gas emissions and becoming carbon neutral for its North American operations by 2022.

These goals build upon its track record of sustainable practices, including Eden Springs in Europe, which introduced the BioCup, a 100% biodegradable and compostable solution, and also achieved CarbonNeutral® certification for eight years running.

For more information on Cott's commitment to sustainability, visit https://www.cott.com/sustainability/.

To read the S&D Coffee & Tea sustainability report, Rooted in Impact, visit https://sdcoffeetea.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SD-Coffee-2019-Sustainability-Report.pdf.

ABOUT COTT CORPORATION

Cott is a water, coffee, tea, extracts and filtration service company with a leading volume-based national presence in the North American and European home and office bottled water delivery industry and a leader in custom coffee roasting, blending of iced tea, and extract solutions for the U.S. foodservice industry. Our platform reaches over 2.5 million customers or delivery points across North America and Europe supported by strategically located sales and distribution facilities and fleets, as well as wholesalers and distributors. This enables us to efficiently service residences, businesses, restaurant chains, hotels and motels, small and large retailers, and healthcare facilities.

Website: www.cott.com

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SOURCE Cott Corporation

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