Heriot-Watt University, together with the charity Talk Lipoedema and circular fashion company Advanced Clothing Solutions (ACS), is launching a pilot compression garment recycling and reuse service in the UK. The project is calling for unused, high-quality finished compression garments from across the country, which will be professionally cleaned and disinfected, assessed for condition, and then made available through an online platform to lipoedema patients in need.

Key Points

  • Associate Professor Lisa Macintyre's team at Heriot-Watt University's School of Design previously surveyed 373 lipoedema patients and found that a large number of compression garments sit unused because they no longer fit or are no longer suitable, causing financial losses for individuals and the healthcare system as well as unnecessary textile waste.
  • The project is a three-way collaboration between Heriot-Watt University, Talk Lipoedema, and ACS. Donated compression garments will undergo professional processing, be photographed, and listed online for patients to obtain.
  • The research team includes researchers Gigi Jiang and Sophia Murden. They are currently publicly appealing for donations of good-quality finished compression garments that no longer fit or are no longer needed; the survey findings were previously published in an open-access paper.

The service was inspired by a survey of lipoedema patients' real experiences with compression garments. Research shows that many compression garments are often shelved even when still in good condition, simply because they no longer fit or no longer meet personal needs. For individuals and the healthcare system, these unused garments represent considerable financial loss and also create avoidable textile waste; meanwhile, many lipoedema patients already struggle to obtain or afford replacement compression garments.

Lisa Macintyre said the research revealed a clear opportunity to reduce waste while helping patients access compression garments. Partnering with Talk Lipoedema and ACS is precisely about creating a practical solution that benefits both people and the environment, and she called on people to donate good-quality compression garments they no longer need to help the service get off the ground and reach more patients.

Under the plan, all donated garments will undergo professional processing, and only after being confirmed suitable for reuse will they be photographed and listed online. The goal is to give lipoedema patients a trustworthy and easily accessible source of compression garments while extending the lifespan of products that might otherwise be discarded.

Talk Lipoedema chair Isobel MacEwan pointed out that ill-fitting compression garments end up in landfill, money is wasted, and patients continue to suffer; what is needed is not more waste but better-fitting garments and a way to keep ill-fitting garments from being wasted. ACS Chief Sustainability Officer Michael Cusack said the circularity potential of medical textiles is enormous, and compression garments are a prime example—when the original user no longer needs them, the product may still have value. This pilot allows the team to explore how to safely recover, assess, and bring them back into use, thereby reducing waste, saving resources, and potentially helping more people.

Those interested in donating suitable compression garments or learning about the service can find details on the Talk Lipoedema website. For the second-hand clothing industry, this pilot extends the circular reuse model from everyday clothing to medical textiles, providing a reference sample for the recovery, disinfection, assessment, and recirculation pathways of high-value functional garments.

Source: New compression garment reuse service appeals for donations to support people with lipoedema · Originally published 2026-10-06