Roni: A Toy for Future

What if materials were not owned, but borrowed?

Everything we make eventually returns to the environment. As the growing presence of microplastics demonstrates, materials do not disappear when we discard them—they simply change form and re-enter ecological systems. The responsibility of design, then, is not only how we shape materials, but the condition in which we return them.

This project explores beeswax as a material defined by its innate borrowability. Beeswax can be formed into objects, used, and then melted down and reshaped indefinitely without degrading its material integrity. When its useful life ends, it can return safely to the earth as part of a natural cycle.

Through a series of material experiments—including casting, rotational molding, foaming, and 3D printing—this research investigates the structural, sensory, and manufacturing potential of beeswax. These tests led to three object typologies: lighting, tabletop/gift objects, and cosmetic packaging.

In lighting, beeswax diffuses illumination into a soft amber glow while releasing its naturally sweet aroma. Tabletop objects demonstrate how trend-driven forms can exist without waste; rather than being discarded when styles change, the objects can be melted and reshaped into new ones. Cosmetic packaging addresses a major waste stream—an industry whose annual packaging weight equals roughly 529,000 school buses—by replacing plastic containers with fully biodegradable beeswax forms capable of functional details such as threaded closures.

By designing with a material that can be continually reshaped and eventually returned to the earth, this project proposes a model of craftsmanship based on stewardship. Objects become temporary forms within a continuous material lifecycle rather than permanent products destined for disposal.