diff --git a/app/models/environment.rb b/app/models/environment.rb
index e613d21add610855ba3b47a3fdfcc609218222ba..8d6b0a32c13143bb69e0530cd723fda1701fe2d3 100644
--- a/app/models/environment.rb
+++ b/app/models/environment.rb
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ def first_deployment_for(commit)
   end
 
   def ref_path
-    "refs/#{Repository::REF_ENVIRONMENTS}/#{generate_slug}"
+    "refs/#{Repository::REF_ENVIRONMENTS}/#{slug}"
   end
 
   def formatted_external_url
@@ -164,6 +164,10 @@ def additional_metrics
     end
   end
 
+  def slug
+    super.presence || generate_slug
+  end
+
   # An environment name is not necessarily suitable for use in URLs, DNS
   # or other third-party contexts, so provide a slugified version. A slug has
   # the following properties:
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/sh-fix-environment-slug-generation.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/sh-fix-environment-slug-generation.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8a9c670c52cb2fd54f620dbc77ee3e871f2227b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/sh-fix-environment-slug-generation.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Avoid regenerating the ref path for the environment
+merge_request:
+author:
+type: fixed
diff --git a/spec/models/environment_spec.rb b/spec/models/environment_spec.rb
index e1be23541e867c788901a72df27594f47fcd0dd0..f75de0a0d88bab832b9c941f4ec49bd77da10893 100644
--- a/spec/models/environment_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/environment_spec.rb
@@ -547,6 +547,15 @@
 
       expect(environment.slug).to eq(original_slug)
     end
+
+    it "regenerates the slug if nil" do
+      environment = build(:environment, slug: nil)
+
+      new_slug = environment.slug
+
+      expect(new_slug).not_to be_nil
+      expect(environment.slug).to eq(new_slug)
+    end
   end
 
   describe '#generate_slug' do
@@ -583,6 +592,12 @@
     it 'returns a path that uses the slug and does not have spaces' do
       expect(environment.ref_path).to start_with('refs/environments/staging-review-1-')
     end
+
+    it "doesn't change when the slug is nil initially" do
+      environment.slug = nil
+
+      expect(environment.ref_path).to eq(environment.ref_path)
+    end
   end
 
   describe '#external_url_for' do