diff --git a/.changeset/chilly-scissors-remember.md b/.changeset/chilly-scissors-remember.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..16a34568d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/chilly-scissors-remember.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@sumup-oss/circuit-ui": patch
+---
+
+Fixed safely accessing environment variables in environments where the `process` variable is undefined.
diff --git a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Display/Display.tsx b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Display/Display.tsx
index 43bfb21e0f..28c03d65e7 100644
--- a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Display/Display.tsx
+++ b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Display/Display.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { forwardRef, type HTMLAttributes } from 'react';
 import { clsx } from '../../styles/clsx.js';
 import { CircuitError } from '../../util/errors.js';
 import { deprecate } from '../../util/logger.js';
+import { getEnvVariable } from '../../util/env.js';
 
 import classes from './Display.module.css';
 
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ export const Display = forwardRef<HTMLHeadingElement, DisplayProps>(
     if (
       process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production' &&
       process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test' &&
-      !process?.env?.UNSAFE_DISABLE_ELEMENT_ERRORS &&
+      !getEnvVariable('UNSAFE_DISABLE_ELEMENT_ERRORS') &&
       !as
     ) {
       throw new CircuitError('Display', 'The `as` prop is required.');
diff --git a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Headline/Headline.tsx b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Headline/Headline.tsx
index a4b0e04064..1da5d60152 100644
--- a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Headline/Headline.tsx
+++ b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Headline/Headline.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { forwardRef, type HTMLAttributes } from 'react';
 import { clsx } from '../../styles/clsx.js';
 import { CircuitError } from '../../util/errors.js';
 import { deprecate } from '../../util/logger.js';
+import { getEnvVariable } from '../../util/env.js';
 
 import classes from './Headline.module.css';
 
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ export const Headline = forwardRef<HTMLHeadingElement, HeadlineProps>(
     if (
       process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production' &&
       process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test' &&
-      !process?.env?.UNSAFE_DISABLE_ELEMENT_ERRORS &&
+      !getEnvVariable('UNSAFE_DISABLE_ELEMENT_ERRORS') &&
       !as
     ) {
       throw new CircuitError('Headline', 'The `as` prop is required.');
diff --git a/packages/circuit-ui/util/env.spec.ts b/packages/circuit-ui/util/env.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..57177f7392
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/circuit-ui/util/env.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright 2024, SumUp Ltd.
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+import { getEnvVariable } from './env.js';
+
+describe('env', () => {
+  describe('getEnvVariable', () => {
+    const originalProcess = process;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      process = originalProcess;
+      process.env = {};
+    });
+
+    it('should return the environment variable`', () => {
+      process.env.FOO = 'foo';
+      const actual = getEnvVariable('FOO');
+      expect(actual).toBe('foo');
+    });
+
+    it('should return undefined if the environment variable is not defined', () => {
+      const actual = getEnvVariable('FOO');
+      expect(actual).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    it('should return undefined if `process` is not defined', () => {
+      // @ts-expect-error We're testing for this error
+      process = undefined;
+      const actual = getEnvVariable('FOO');
+      expect(actual).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    it('should throw an error when used for `NODE_ENV`', () => {
+      const actual = () => getEnvVariable('NODE_ENV');
+      expect(actual).toThrowError();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/circuit-ui/util/env.ts b/packages/circuit-ui/util/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6740b481c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/circuit-ui/util/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright 2024, SumUp Ltd.
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+export function getEnvVariable(name: string) {
+  if (name === 'NODE_ENV') {
+    // Some bundlers have special logic for `process.env.NODE_ENV` which
+    // relies on it being written as a continuous string. Destructuring or
+    // dynamically accessing `NODE_ENV` can break this logic.
+    throw new Error('Do not dynamically access NODE_ENV');
+  }
+
+  if (typeof process !== 'undefined') {
+    return process.env?.[name];
+  }
+
+  return undefined;
+}