Water in a Box is set to provide 30,000 cartons of water across nine competitions.

England Athletics' National Championships in Bedford between May 28 and 29 is the first event covered by the deal.

Water in a Box packages British spring water in recyclable cardboard.

The packaging is claimed to be more lightweight and better for the environment than plastic bottles.

"Their [Water in a Box] commitment to delivering sustainable packaging, made solely of responsibly-sourced, renewable or recycled materials, which is fully recyclable and carbon-neutral aligns with our aim to support reduction of plastic use at all our events," England Athletics chef executive Chris Jones said.

"This forms part of our broader commitment to support the sustainability journey of our clubs and RunTogether groups, as well as athletes, coaches and officials."

Water in a Box products are claimed to have a carbon footprint one-third of that of a bottle of water made from polyethylene terephthalate.

"It is a very exciting moment for Water in a Box to be collaborating with such huge sporting organisations," Karl Martin, the commercial director of Water in a Box, said.

"In an ideal world, we would all have a reusable water bottle but often at sporting events that’s not always possible.

"We started Water in a Box to offer a better alternative to plastic bottles.

"It isn’t perfect, but our cartons have the lowest carbon footprint of all drinks containers and are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council."