diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index f918db09e..dfe5b80ec 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 
-from packaging.version import parse as parse_version
 from setuptools import __version__ as setuptools_version
 from setuptools import find_packages, setup
 
@@ -15,6 +14,8 @@ def has_environment_marker_platform_impl_support():
     it is 18.5, see:
     https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/history.html#id235
     """
+    from packaging.version import parse as parse_version
+
     return parse_version(setuptools_version) >= parse_version("18.5")
 
 
diff --git a/tests/requirements.txt b/tests/requirements.txt
index 72350b216..618949795 100644
--- a/tests/requirements.txt
+++ b/tests/requirements.txt
@@ -14,4 +14,3 @@ brotli  # optional for HTTP compress downloader middleware tests
 zstandard; implementation_name != 'pypy'  # optional for HTTP compress downloader middleware tests
 ipython
 pywin32; sys_platform == "win32"
-packaging
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 79d692599..ec3a59366 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -218,6 +218,3 @@ setenv =
     {[pinned]setenv}
 commands =
     pytest --cov=scrapy --cov-report=xml --cov-report= {posargs:tests -k s3}
-
-[build-system]
-build-backend = 'setuptools.build_meta'
\ No newline at end of file