diff --git a/docs/guides/cli/custom-environment-variables.md b/docs/guides/cli/custom-environment-variables.md
index 60419b4fa..a6ebf16b5 100644
--- a/docs/guides/cli/custom-environment-variables.md
+++ b/docs/guides/cli/custom-environment-variables.md
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ And update `src/app.ts` as follows:
 import * as dotenv from 'dotenv'
 dotenv.config()
 
+// or for ES6
+
+import 'dotenv/config';
+
 import configuration from '@feathersjs/configuration'
 ```