A machine-readable standard for the return lifecycle that any e-commerce platform, headless commerce tool, or AI agent can integrate with. Extensible return method interface for third-party services. Self-hostable reference portal included. No intermediary touches your data.
Open standard with REST API covering the full return lifecycle: reason capture, exchange selection, carrier handoff, tracking, notification events, and multiple resolution types (refund, exchange, store credit). Extensible return method interface for third-party services. Discovery via /.well-known/openreturn or UCP capability advertisement.
Wraps the REST API so AI agents can manage returns via the Model Context Protocol. Discoverable via the retailer's domain. OAuth 2.1 token delegation for the consumer-agent-retailer chain.
Modular connectors for carriers, e-commerce platforms, and payment providers. Retailer-owned API keys, no intermediary margins. Open adapter interfaces for community contributions.
Self-hostable Next.js application with full return and exchange flow. Transactional email delivery (label, tracking, refund confirmation). WCAG 2.1 AA accessible. Open source.
Commercial return portals operate as shipping label aggregators, profiting from each return shipment. Their incentive is more returns, not fewer. They lock retailers into proprietary systems and control the return data.
There is no open standard for how returns work programmatically. Every platform reimplements the same flows. Headless commerce and AI agents are locked out entirely.
OpenReturn gives retailers sovereignty over their return process and data, provides an open protocol anyone can build on, and treats exchanges as a first-class flow to preserve sales and reduce waste. The extensible return method interface means new return models (like customer-to-customer forwarding) can plug in without protocol changes. For consumers, it means their AI agents can manage returns across any store that implements the standard, instead of navigating a different proprietary portal for every retailer.
A2A Agent Card discovery is a planned follow-on.
The adapter architecture is designed to grow. Planned future integrations include:
Marketing platforms (Klaviyo) · Loyalty systems · Store credit and coupon codes · Customer service tools (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias) · Drop-off and parcel locker networks (InPost, DHL Packstations) · Recommerce and resale channel routing (Vinted, Refurbed) · Warehouse and grading (WMS integrations) · Return-in-store for online orders (BORIS) · Cross-border return flows · Sustainability and CO2 reporting (EU CSRD) · A2A Agent Card discovery
OpenReturn is initiated by It Goes Forward, a Netherlands-based company working on e-commerce logistics. The project team includes researchers who co-authored a peer-reviewed study on return logistics (Omega 128, 2024) with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam. The protocol specification is governed through an open RFC process on GitHub, with governance intended to move to The Commons Conservancy once stable.