Major Changes
Renamed schemas
Within version 1.0 of Open 3P the schemas were:
Materials Catalogue- Materials
Component Catalogue- Complete Packaging
- Multipack
- Load Catalogue
- Load
These have been changed as it was determined that these names pointed to the software that project partners Dsposal were developing as part of the PPP Phase 2 project. Open data standards are solution agnostic and should not be matching names to possible technologies. The renamed schemas are:
- Base Materials
- Materials
- Components
- Complete Packaging
- Multipack
- Load Catalogue
- Load
Overly flat structure
While talking to packaging and software experts it became apparent that one of the biggest problems with version 1.0 was that the structure was too flat. For instance, when adding multiple materials to create a component the standard required that the relationships connecting the materials to the component should be input at the same level. This created scenarios where complex components would have a list of different materials, but those materials could not easily have different properties within that component.
By introducing relationship lists this would be remedied. It is important to note that the relationship list is to clarify relationships within and through the standard and are not an exercise in normalisation. Normalisation is a database engineering task and should not be prescribed by a solution agnostic data standard.
Relationship Lists
The main breaking change made to the standard was by the introduction of relationship lists. Relationship lists are standard defined lists used in data standards to specify the relationships between different data elements, like the current controlled lists. However, unlike controlled lists, which are predefined within the data standard, relationship lists are populated by the user to provide context and clarity to the data being recorded.
For example, in the packaging industry, a relationship list is used to specify the relationship between a component and its associated material or between a complete package and its components. Relationship lists are flexible and can be customized to fit the needs of different users and applications, making them a powerful tool for managing complex data sets.
There are nine relationship lists within the standard. They allow collecting and normalising information about the seven schemas in a way that is extensible.
These nine are:
- Material Constituents
The material constituents relationship list identifies the base material and other materials that are combined to create materials. This is only used in materials. - Component Constituents
The component constituents relationship list identifies the materials that are combined to create components. This is only used in components. - Complete Packaging Constituents
The complete packaging constituents relationship list identifies the components and other complete packaging that are combined to create complete packages. This is only used in complete packaging. - Multipack Constituents
The multipack constituents relationship list identifies the complete packaging items that are combined to create multipacks. This is only used in multipack. - Certification Claims
The certification claims relationship list identifies the certificates that can be assigned to various tables. This is used in the following schemas:- Base Materials
- Materials
- Components
- Complete Packaging
- Recyclability Claims
The recyclability claims relationship list identifies the materials that are combined to create components. This is used in the following schemas:- Components
- Complete Packaging
- Component End of Life Routes
The component end of life routes relationship list identifies the purpose and intended destination and process of this component once it has completed its role as packaging. This is only used in components. - Complete Packaging End of Life Routes
The complete packaging end of life routes relationship list identifies the purpose and intended destination and process of this complete packaging once it has completed its role as packaging. This is only used in complete packaging. - Recycled Content Claims
The recycled content claims relationship list identifies the materials that are combined to create components. This is only used in components.
Limited end of life scope
It was noted on a variety of occasions that Open 3P only addresses DRS and recycling as mentioned end of life options. Whereas other options are available and are preferred for some materials.
End of Life Route
The end of life route controlled list identifies the routes that packaging can go down once it has fulfilled its purpose. This end of life route is then held within relationship lists to identify order of preference and related end of life disruptors.
Recycling Disruptors Renamed
Recycling disruptors has been renamed to end of life disruptors in keeping with the end-of-life scope.
Minor Changes
Material Weight
The term materialWeight was used to indicate the percentage of each base material used to create a material. This nomenclature created confusion so the term was changed to materialPercentage.
Restricted Interoperability
In version 1.0 five of the seven schemas contained the tags field, a dictionary of identifiers that might be used to identify the complete packaging in other systems. For example, a barcode or Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) would be a tag. During user research it was deemed that all seven schemas should have a version of this field. However, the term tags was not widely understood. Through discussions and understanding of how organisations will use this field, the term external identifiers was selected as it accurately describes the use cases identified and allows for wider use.