Megan O’Connor

by Megan O’Connor
November 12, 2024 6:14 AM EST

Megan O’Connor founded Nth Cycle in 2017 to address two problems: a growing volume of electronic waste, and a limited domestic supply of critical minerals needed for the energy transition. Fast forward to 2024, and her company has become the first in the United States to extract nickel and cobalt on a commercial scale from scrap and refine it to be used in clean technologies. Nth Cycle’s modular system, called The Oyster, can be added on to existing recycling facilities and manufacturing plants, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 90% compared to traditional mineral mining.

What is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government (other than your own), needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda?

The most urgent action we must take is building sustainable, domestic supply chains for critical metals. Every EV and renewable energy storage system relies on metals like nickel, cobalt, and lithium. Yet, the vast majority of U.S. lithium and cobalt are refined and imported, often from regions with environmentally damaging practices. With global demand for these metals expected to rise by 500% by 2050, we can’t continue relying on outdated, high-emission refining methods. At Nth Cycle, we’ve shown it’s possible to refine these materials cleanly, cutting emissions by up to 90%. Governments and companies must now invest in scaling these technologies, ensuring the green revolution is truly green, from start to finish.

What’s one sustainability effort you personally will try to adopt in the next year, and why?

I’m committing to eliminating single-use plastics from my life. Plastic pollution is an epidemic: Every year, 8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans, harming marine life and ecosystems. Half of all plastic is used just once, and if we don’t make changes now, by 2050, plastic could outweigh fish in the ocean. 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 governmental.

Where should climate activism go in the next year?

Climate activism needs to expand beyond reducing emissions to address the full lifecycle 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 carbon emissions. We need activism that demands sustainable industrial practices, like clean refining technologies for critical materials. We’re at a critical moment where we can either replace one set of destructive practices with another, or we can lead the way in creating a truly sustainable future. Activism has the power to push governments and industries to adopt these cleaner, more sustainable technologies, but we need to make it clear that this isn’t a side issue — it’s central to building the world we all envision.