diff --git a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java
index ffe9d294d9b..a41138fd36f 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2013 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2014 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -41,7 +41,9 @@ public interface BeanDefinitionDocumentReader {
 	 * Set the Environment to use when reading bean definitions.
 	 * <p>Used for evaluating profile information to determine whether a
 	 * {@code <beans/>} document/element should be included or ignored.
+	 * @deprecated in favor of Environment access via XmlReaderContext
 	 */
+	@Deprecated
 	void setEnvironment(Environment environment);
 
 	/**
diff --git a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java
index de4c3e695ed..6be94c1a897 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2012 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2014 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.ManagedSet;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.MethodOverrides;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.ReplaceOverride;
 import org.springframework.core.env.Environment;
-import org.springframework.core.env.StandardEnvironment;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.CollectionUtils;
@@ -246,12 +245,12 @@ public class BeanDefinitionParserDelegate {
 
 	private final XmlReaderContext readerContext;
 
+	private final Environment environment;
+
 	private final DocumentDefaultsDefinition defaults = new DocumentDefaultsDefinition();
 
 	private final ParseState parseState = new ParseState();
 
-	private Environment environment;
-
 	/**
 	 * Stores all used bean names so we can enforce uniqueness on a per
 	 * beans-element basis. Duplicate bean ids/names may not exist within the
@@ -261,26 +260,24 @@ public class BeanDefinitionParserDelegate {
 
 
 	/**
-	 * Create a new BeanDefinitionParserDelegate associated with the
-	 * supplied {@link XmlReaderContext} and {@link Environment}.
+	 * Create a new BeanDefinitionParserDelegate associated with the supplied
+	 * {@link XmlReaderContext}.
+	 */
+	public BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(XmlReaderContext readerContext) {
+		this(readerContext, readerContext.getReader().getEnvironment());
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Create a new BeanDefinitionParserDelegate associated with the supplied
+	 * {@link XmlReaderContext}.
 	 */
 	public BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(XmlReaderContext readerContext, Environment environment) {
 		Assert.notNull(readerContext, "XmlReaderContext must not be null");
-		Assert.notNull(readerContext, "Environment must not be null");
+		Assert.notNull(environment, "Environment must not be null");
 		this.readerContext = readerContext;
 		this.environment = environment;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * Create a new BeanDefinitionParserDelegate associated with the
-	 * supplied {@link XmlReaderContext} and a new {@link StandardEnvironment}.
-	 * @deprecated since Spring 3.1 in favor of
-	 * {@link #BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(XmlReaderContext, Environment)}
-	 */
-	@Deprecated
-	public BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(XmlReaderContext readerContext) {
-		this(readerContext, new StandardEnvironment());
-	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Get the {@link XmlReaderContext} associated with this helper instance.
@@ -326,6 +323,13 @@ public class BeanDefinitionParserDelegate {
 	}
 
 
+	/**
+	 * Initialize the default settings assuming a {@code null} parent delegate.
+	 */
+	public void initDefaults(Element root) {
+		initDefaults(root, null);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Initialize the default lazy-init, autowire, dependency check settings,
 	 * init-method, destroy-method and merge settings. Support nested 'beans'
@@ -339,16 +343,6 @@ public class BeanDefinitionParserDelegate {
 		this.readerContext.fireDefaultsRegistered(this.defaults);
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * Initialize the default settings assuming a {@code null} parent delegate.
-	 * @deprecated in Spring 3.1 in favor of
-	 * {@link #initDefaults(Element, BeanDefinitionParserDelegate)}
-	 */
-	@Deprecated
-	public void initDefaults(Element root) {
-		initDefaults(root, null);
-	}
-
 	/**
 	 * Populate the given DocumentDefaultsDefinition instance with the default lazy-init,
 	 * autowire, dependency check settings, init-method, destroy-method and merge settings.
diff --git a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java
index 0be926af27e..63bdfc3ec75 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2013 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2014 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionReaderUtils;
 import org.springframework.core.env.Environment;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.support.ResourcePatternUtils;
-import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.ResourceUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
@@ -84,19 +83,13 @@ public class DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader implements BeanDefinitionDocume
 	private BeanDefinitionParserDelegate delegate;
 
 
-	/**
-	 * {@inheritDoc}
-	 * <p>Default value is {@code null}; property is required for parsing any
-	 * {@code <beans/>} element with a {@code profile} attribute present.
-	 * @see #doRegisterBeanDefinitions
-	 */
+	@Deprecated
 	public void setEnvironment(Environment environment) {
 		this.environment = environment;
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * {@inheritDoc}
-	 * <p>This implementation parses bean definitions according to the "spring-beans" XSD
+	 * This implementation parses bean definitions according to the "spring-beans" XSD
 	 * (or DTD, historically).
 	 * <p>Opens a DOM Document; then initializes the default settings
 	 * specified at the {@code <beans/>} level; then parses the contained bean definitions.
@@ -108,20 +101,35 @@ public class DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader implements BeanDefinitionDocume
 		doRegisterBeanDefinitions(root);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Return the descriptor for the XML resource that this parser works on.
+	 */
+	protected final XmlReaderContext getReaderContext() {
+		return this.readerContext;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Invoke the {@link org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.SourceExtractor} to pull the
+	 * source metadata from the supplied {@link Element}.
+	 */
+	protected Object extractSource(Element ele) {
+		return getReaderContext().extractSource(ele);
+	}
+
+	private Environment getEnvironment() {
+		return (this.environment != null ? this.environment : getReaderContext().getReader().getEnvironment());
+	}
+
 
 	/**
 	 * Register each bean definition within the given root {@code <beans/>} element.
-	 * @throws IllegalStateException if {@code <beans profile="..."} attribute is present
-	 * and Environment property has not been set
-	 * @see #setEnvironment
 	 */
 	protected void doRegisterBeanDefinitions(Element root) {
 		String profileSpec = root.getAttribute(PROFILE_ATTRIBUTE);
 		if (StringUtils.hasText(profileSpec)) {
-			Assert.state(this.environment != null, "Environment must be set for evaluating profiles");
 			String[] specifiedProfiles = StringUtils.tokenizeToStringArray(
 					profileSpec, BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.MULTI_VALUE_ATTRIBUTE_DELIMITERS);
-			if (!this.environment.acceptsProfiles(specifiedProfiles)) {
+			if (!getEnvironment().acceptsProfiles(specifiedProfiles)) {
 				return;
 			}
 		}
@@ -147,7 +155,7 @@ public class DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader implements BeanDefinitionDocume
 
 		BeanDefinitionParserDelegate delegate = createHelper(readerContext, root, parentDelegate);
 		if (delegate == null) {
-			delegate = new BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(readerContext, this.environment);
+			delegate = new BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(readerContext, getEnvironment());
 			delegate.initDefaults(root, parentDelegate);
 		}
 		return delegate;
@@ -160,22 +168,6 @@ public class DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader implements BeanDefinitionDocume
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * Return the descriptor for the XML resource that this parser works on.
-	 */
-	protected final XmlReaderContext getReaderContext() {
-		return this.readerContext;
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * Invoke the {@link org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.SourceExtractor} to pull the
-	 * source metadata from the supplied {@link Element}.
-	 */
-	protected Object extractSource(Element ele) {
-		return this.readerContext.extractSource(ele);
-	}
-
-
 	/**
 	 * Parse the elements at the root level in the document:
 	 * "import", "alias", "bean".
@@ -230,7 +222,7 @@ public class DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader implements BeanDefinitionDocume
 		}
 
 		// Resolve system properties: e.g. "${user.dir}"
-		location = environment.resolveRequiredPlaceholders(location);
+		location = getEnvironment().resolveRequiredPlaceholders(location);
 
 		Set<Resource> actualResources = new LinkedHashSet<Resource>(4);
 
diff --git a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java
index 16b58500bc1..860799adc81 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2012 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@ public class XmlBeanDefinitionReader extends AbstractBeanDefinitionReader {
 		super(registry);
 	}
 
+
 	/**
 	 * Set whether to use XML validation. Default is {@code true}.
 	 * <p>This method switches namespace awareness on if validation is turned off,
@@ -486,9 +487,10 @@ public class XmlBeanDefinitionReader extends AbstractBeanDefinitionReader {
 	 * @see #setDocumentReaderClass
 	 * @see BeanDefinitionDocumentReader#registerBeanDefinitions
 	 */
+	@SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
 	public int registerBeanDefinitions(Document doc, Resource resource) throws BeanDefinitionStoreException {
 		BeanDefinitionDocumentReader documentReader = createBeanDefinitionDocumentReader();
-		documentReader.setEnvironment(this.getEnvironment());
+		documentReader.setEnvironment(getEnvironment());
 		int countBefore = getRegistry().getBeanDefinitionCount();
 		documentReader.registerBeanDefinitions(doc, createReaderContext(resource));
 		return getRegistry().getBeanDefinitionCount() - countBefore;