It wasn't unusual for noted environmentalist and multi-book author David Suzuki to take a pen and autograph the inside of a book cover.

What was strange about it this time was he was in Vancouver, and the book was in Toronto.

The B.C. native was using LongPen, a technology developed by Toronto-based Unotchit Inc. The device copies a hand-written signature with a robotic arm, allowing remote autograph sessions complete with videoconferencing.

The eco-activist was making a point at IDC Canada's Green IT conference last week.

There's no need to take a flight that spews tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to sign some books.

“Technology has to be a part of our sustainable future,” he says.

But aside from curbing your environmental footprint, digital signing technology has been catching on over the last couple of years with businesses looking to streamline their handling of documents, according to report from Gartner Inc. report, a consultant firm out of Stamford, Conn.

LongPen is unique in its use of robotics to replicate hand-written authenticity.

Other business-minded e-signature services verify using the Web or phone.

The technology, originally, was popular for organizing intimate celebrity appearances through a combined videoconference and autograph session, says Matthew Gibson, chief technology officer at Unotchit.

But requests have been pouring in from businesses that require “wet signatures” on a document.

“I can say that high-level Ontario government is interested,” Gibson said. “We've also had inquiries from one of the top five banks in the U.S., banking inquiries from Egypt and out of Russia, and a lot of interest from South America.”

When digital authentication will do, consider e-signature services, recommends the Gartner report.

These services are best used when rapid time-to-market is important, complex internal workflows aren't required, there's a need for a third party to vouch for the record, or the price per signed record is less than a software suite, writes Gartner analyst Greg Kreizman.

“Anyone moving large volumes of contracts and significantly sized contracts will be considering these services,” says Joe Pach, director of environment at Telus Corp.