diff --git a/src/embedding_wrapper.c b/src/embedding_wrapper.c
index e74dbe2f..2394d49d 100644
--- a/src/embedding_wrapper.c
+++ b/src/embedding_wrapper.c
@@ -37,22 +37,45 @@ jl_value_t *checked_eval_string(const char *code) {
 
 void set_depot_load_path(const char *root_dir) {
 #ifdef _WIN32
+    char *path_sep = ";";
     char *julia_share_subdir = "\\share\\julia";
 #else
+    char *path_sep = ":";
     char *julia_share_subdir = "/share/julia";
 #endif
-    char *share_dir =
-        calloc(sizeof(char), strlen(root_dir) + strlen(julia_share_subdir) + 1);
-    strcat(share_dir, root_dir);
-    strcat(share_dir, julia_share_subdir);
+    int share_path_len = strlen(root_dir) + strlen(julia_share_subdir) + 1;
+
+    char *curr_depot_path = getenv("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH");
+    int curr_depot_path_len = curr_depot_path == NULL ? 0 : strlen(curr_depot_path);
+    int new_depot_path_len = curr_depot_path_len + 1 + share_path_len;
+    char *new_depot_path = calloc(sizeof (char), new_depot_path_len);
+    if (curr_depot_path_len > 0) {
+        strcat(new_depot_path, curr_depot_path);
+        strcat(new_depot_path, path_sep);
+    }
+    strcat(new_depot_path, root_dir);
+    strcat(new_depot_path, julia_share_subdir);
+
+    char *curr_load_path = getenv("JULIA_LOAD_PATH");
+    int curr_load_path_len = curr_load_path == NULL ? 0 : strlen(curr_load_path);
+    int new_load_path_len = curr_load_path_len + 1 + share_path_len;
+    char *new_load_path = calloc(sizeof (char), new_load_path_len);
+    if (curr_load_path_len > 0) {
+        strcat(new_load_path, curr_load_path);
+        strcat(new_load_path, path_sep);
+    }
+    strcat(new_load_path, root_dir);
+    strcat(new_load_path, julia_share_subdir);
 
 #ifdef _WIN32
-    _putenv_s("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", share_dir);
-    _putenv_s("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", share_dir);
+    _putenv_s("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", new_depot_path);
+    _putenv_s("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", new_load_path);
 #else
-    setenv("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", share_dir, 1);
-    setenv("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", share_dir, 1);
+    setenv("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", new_depot_path, 1);
+    setenv("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", new_load_path, 1);
 #endif
+    free(new_load_path);
+    free(new_depot_path);
 }
 
 // main function (windows UTF16 -> UTF8 argument conversion code copied from
diff --git a/src/julia_init.c b/src/julia_init.c
index d598f90b..9bbb865a 100644
--- a/src/julia_init.c
+++ b/src/julia_init.c
@@ -42,23 +42,45 @@ const char *get_sysimage_path(const char *libname) {
 
 void set_depot_load_path(const char *root_dir) {
 #ifdef _WIN32
+    char *path_sep = ";";
     char *julia_share_subdir = "\\share\\julia";
 #else
+    char *path_sep = ":";
     char *julia_share_subdir = "/share/julia";
 #endif
-    char *share_dir =
-        calloc(sizeof(char), strlen(root_dir) + strlen(julia_share_subdir) + 1);
-    strcat(share_dir, root_dir);
-    strcat(share_dir, julia_share_subdir);
+    int share_path_len = strlen(root_dir) + strlen(julia_share_subdir) + 1;
+
+    char *curr_depot_path = getenv("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH");
+    int curr_depot_path_len = curr_depot_path == NULL ? 0 : strlen(curr_depot_path);
+    int new_depot_path_len = curr_depot_path_len + 1 + share_path_len;
+    char *new_depot_path = calloc(sizeof (char), new_depot_path_len);
+    if (curr_depot_path_len > 0) {
+        strcat(new_depot_path, curr_depot_path);
+        strcat(new_depot_path, path_sep);
+    }
+    strcat(new_depot_path, root_dir);
+    strcat(new_depot_path, julia_share_subdir);
+
+    char *curr_load_path = getenv("JULIA_LOAD_PATH");
+    int curr_load_path_len = curr_load_path == NULL ? 0 : strlen(curr_load_path);
+    int new_load_path_len = curr_load_path_len + 1 + share_path_len;
+    char *new_load_path = calloc(sizeof (char), new_load_path_len);
+    if (curr_load_path_len > 0) {
+        strcat(new_load_path, curr_load_path);
+        strcat(new_load_path, path_sep);
+    }
+    strcat(new_load_path, root_dir);
+    strcat(new_load_path, julia_share_subdir);
 
 #ifdef _WIN32
-    _putenv_s("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", share_dir);
-    _putenv_s("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", share_dir);
+    _putenv_s("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", new_depot_path);
+    _putenv_s("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", new_load_path);
 #else
-    setenv("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", share_dir, 1);
-    setenv("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", share_dir, 1);
+    setenv("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH", new_depot_path, 1);
+    setenv("JULIA_LOAD_PATH", new_load_path, 1);
 #endif
-    free(share_dir);
+    free(new_load_path);
+    free(new_depot_path);
 }
 
 void init_julia(int argc, char **argv) {
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index 8db26274..8473c2e7 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -110,8 +110,12 @@ end
             rm(joinpath(new_depot, "compiled"); recursive=true, force=true)
             rm(joinpath(new_depot, "artifacts"); recursive=true, force=true)
             end # try
+            test_load_path = mktempdir()
+            test_depot_path = mktempdir()
             app_path(app_name) = abspath(app_compiled_dir, "bin", app_name * (Sys.iswindows() ? ".exe" : ""))
-            app_output = read(`$(app_path("MyApp")) I get --args áéíóú --julia-args --threads=3 --check-bounds=yes -O1`, String)
+            app_output = withenv("JULIA_DEPOT_PATH" => test_depot_path, "JULIA_LOAD_PATH" => test_load_path) do
+                read(`$(app_path("MyApp")) I get --args áéíóú --julia-args --threads=3 --check-bounds=yes -O1`, String)
+            end
 
             # Check stdlib filtering
             if filter == true
@@ -140,6 +144,9 @@ end
             # Check app is precompiled in a normal process
             @test occursin("outputo: ok", app_output)
             @test occursin("myrand: ok", app_output)
+            # Check env-provided depot and load paths are accepted
+            @test occursin("DEPOT_PATH = [\"$(escape_string(test_depot_path))", app_output)
+            @test occursin("LOAD_PATH = [\"$(escape_string(test_load_path))", app_output)
             # Check distributed
             @test occursin("n = 20000000", app_output)
             @test occursin("From worker 2:\t8", app_output)