Cyclic Materials is creating a circular supply chain for rare earth elements and other materials critical to electrification.
Through our innovative technology, Cyclic Materials economically, sustainably, and domestically transforms end-of-life products into valuable raw materials that are essential to the production of electric vehicles, wind turbines, and motors for the electronics we use in our daily lives.
Cyclic Materials is proudly based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in developing cleantech technologies for the processing and recycling of resources. I am the CEO, President, and co-founder of Cyclic Materials and was among the early co-inventors of Jetti Resources Inc. technology as well as a Board of Advisory member of Li-Cycle Corp (NYSE: LICY).
With dedication and a strong passion for a sustainable environment, I lead our company’s vision to transform the rare earth elements market with ethical, economical, and sustainable sourced metals available for the global market.
I earned my Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from the University of British Columbia and have co-invented more than 15 patents.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Cut planning time by half and do more!
Be more engaged with startup communities and incubators.
What problem does your business solve?
Cyclic Materials is helping the world transition to an environmentally responsible future by recovering rare earth elements from the difficult-to-recycle products of the modern world. As demand grows for wind turbines, electric vehicles, and other electronics, new sources of rare earth elements to support the world’s transition to an electrified society are needed. While new mines are necessary to meet projected demand, having access to recycled material will significantly reduce the need to open new mines.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
To help make critical metals more circular, currently, most of the critical metals we consume end up in landfills.
What is your magic sauce?
Through its proprietary technologies, Cyclic Materials can cost-efficiently recycle REEs from a diverse supply of end-of-life products. There are no other companies we’re aware of that can recycle REEs from end-of-life products at scale.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our objective is to be producing 600 tonnes of rare earth elements per year in North America by 2026. But our vision is global, and we are expecting to be operating and producing slightly over 3,000 tonnes a year of rare earth elements globally by 2031.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Starting a company while COVID-19 was around was a difficult undertaking. Building a team while most of us worked from home was challenging as well.
How can people get involved?
To learn more, visit www.cyclicmaterials.earth. If you’re interested in partnering with us, visit www.cyclicmaterials.earth/contact.