[2019] Has CG said anything about using stockpiled gear for anything?

CG_Cyanides alluded to that we're looking at some ways of giving players value for accumulated gear, but we don't have a specific answer to share right now:
Q: How about a mechanism for fusing lower level gear into higher level gear i.e. 10 mk 4 stun guns makes 1 mk 5. -DocSweet770

• A: CG_Cyanides: Fusing lower level gear into higher level gear is not something we're currently looking at. We are thinking about a few ways that your accumulated inventories of lower-level gear can be of some value for your collection and I am optimistic that we will eventually come up with something that makes longtime players happy.