The use of cardboard boxes and packing materials has been criticised in recent years because many sustainability campaigners see it as unnecessary, so the news that a retailer from the Netherlands is aiming to eliminate these elements from orders placed via safe shopping online will be welcomed by many.

Over the course of 2020 the site Bol.com is hoping to send seven million packages to its customers without the use of separate material, meaning that the products will simply be shipped in the protective layers that the manufacturer includes.

In order to accommodate this change, a growing number of brands have begun to update their own packaging, making it more resilient and meaning that online retailers from around the world can choose to take this approach if they wish.

Not every single item available will be sent without additional packaging, since there are a number of products which do require additional cushioning to prevent damage during shipping. Even so, the fact that this will benefit millions of orders in the coming months should set a good example that other outlets will ideally follow going forwards.

Bol.com spokesperson Jori Ebskamp told Internet Retailing that sustainability was at the core of the decision to remove extraneous packaging from millions of orders.

He also said that the firm was working with its distribution specialists in order to identify products which may need to have their base level packaging updated to better accommodate this change.

Making online retail more sustainable has become a key concern this year, and this move shows that some e-commerce sites are willing to listen to their customers. As consumers vote with their wallets, no doubt this trend will pick up momentum and appear more widely in the UK as well as further afield.