ABSTRACT
It is not a surprise that many different perceptions of and examples relating to 'environ mental accounting' exist (Schaltegger and Stinson r994; EPA 1995) . According to the generally applicable 'Tinbergen rule' in economics and public policy, a tool is less efficient and effective once it is required to pursue different goals that are not absolutely complementary (Tin bergen 1956) . It is possible that none of the goals would be achieved in an effective or efficient manner. The implication is that different tools are needed to deal with non-complementary issues. With respect to accounting, this is one reason why separate accounting systems may be needed to address different sets of issues of concern to stakeholders. Every accounting system can be designed to provide specific information for different groups of stakeholders.
