Megan O’Connor founded Nth Cycle in 2017 to tackle two problems: a growing volume of electronic waste and a limited domestic supply of crucial minerals needed for the energy transition. Fast forward to 2024, and her company has grown into the First in the United States to extract and refine nickel and cobalt from scrap on a commercial scale for use in clean technologies. The modular system from Nth Cycle, called The oystercan be added to existing recycling facilities and factories, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 90% compared to traditional mineral mining.
What do you think is the single most important action that the public, or a specific company or government (other than your own), must take in the coming year to advance the climate agenda?
The most urgent action we need to take is building sustainable, domestic supply chains for critical metals. Every electric vehicle and renewable energy storage system relies on metals such as nickel, cobalt and lithium. Yet the vast majority of U.S. lithium and cobalt is refined and imported, often from regions where environmentally harmful practices occur. Global demand for these metals is expected to do the same increase by 500% by 2050we cannot continue to rely on outdated refining methods with high emissions. At Nth Cycle we have shown that it is possible to refine these materials in a clean way, reducing emissions by up to 90%. Governments and companies must invest now in scaling up these technologies to ensure that the green revolution is truly green, from start to finish.
What is one sustainability effort you will personally try to undertake in the coming year, and why?
I am committed to eliminating single-use plastics from my life. Plastic pollution is an epidemic: every year 8 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceansharming marine life and ecosystems. Half of all plastic is only used onceAnd if we don’t make changes now, plastic could outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050. Small changes add up, and reducing my personal plastic consumption reminds me daily that sustainability is about consistency and impact at all levels: personal, industrial and managerial.
Where should climate activism go in the coming year?
Climate activism must go beyond reducing emissions and focus on the full life cycle of the products that power our green future. Batteries, solar panels and wind turbines all require critical metals, and how we source and refine those metals is just as important as reducing CO2 emissions. We need activism that requires sustainable industrial practices, such as clean refining technologies for critical materials. We are at a critical juncture where we can either replace one set of destructive practices with another, or take the lead in creating a truly sustainable future. Activism has the power to push governments and industries to adopt these cleaner, more sustainable technologies, but we must make it clear that this is not an afterthought; it is critical to building the world we all envision.
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