The influence of Marks & Spencer's recent move to charge customers for plastic carrier bags has been underlined after it emerged that one of the UK's leading ethical travel operators is considering employing a similar model for its holiday brochures.

I-to-i, which operates ethical working holidays, said that it had moved all its brochures online and from November, will trial an on-demand system that will see customers request the segments of brochures that they want.

The company said that if this proves successful, it will introduce a charge of around £1 per printed out brochure with customers' fees going into a fund to support overseas charity projects.

"In the same way that supermarkets started charging for carrier bags – and we're seeing wastage being reduced there – we're looking to kick-start the same with holiday brochures," said Matt Lewis, head of meaningful travel at the company. "i-to-i is responsible for a mere fraction of the 100 million brochures printed in the UK every year, but it's a start, and if all holiday companies followed suit, collectively we could save a lot of wasted print and help the environment."

I-to-i claims that in 2007 it produced 131,500 brochures containing more than 19 million pages, and expects the move to have a significant impact on waste levels.

"We appreciate that some holidaymakers will always want to flick through a brochure and feel the pages," said Lewis. "[But] this will still reduce printing as it will only be the relevant sections being produced and sent to the people who really do want them."