Understanding document signing terminology. From audit trails to zero-knowledge proofs, find clear definitions for every term you will encounter.
A transparent record of who did what with your document, and when. Audit trails provide accountability and trust — essential values for organisations committed to ethical operations. VowTerra automatically generates a complete audit trail for every signing event, giving you verifiable proof of commitments without a single sheet of paper.
The complete record of how a document has been handled — from upload through signing to storage. Chain of custody proves your agreements haven't been altered, providing the transparency and accountability that responsible organisations demand. VowTerra maintains this chain automatically, so you can focus on your mission rather than document management.
An advanced form of electronic signature that uses encryption to guarantee a document hasn't been altered after signing. Digital signatures add an extra layer of trust to important agreements like sustainability commitments, partnership contracts, and impact reports. They prove exactly who signed and that nothing has changed since — no paper trail required.
A paperless way to sign agreements that eliminates the environmental impact of printing, shipping, and storing physical documents. Electronic signatures reduce your organisation's carbon footprint while being just as legally valid as pen-and-paper. VowTerra tracks the paper and carbon savings from every signature your team captures.
The person or representative with authority to sign a document and make commitments on behalf of an organisation. For NGOs, social enterprises, and B-Corps, understanding who can sign is especially important for grant agreements, partnership commitments, and sustainability pledges. VowTerra makes it easy to track who signed what and when.
The person you're asking to sign your document. They'll receive a branded email with a secure link, review the document in their browser, and sign electronically — no printing, no posting, no wasted paper. VowTerra makes signing simple for recipients while tracking the environmental savings from each paperless transaction.
A traditional pen-and-paper signature that requires printing, physically signing, and often posting documents. Every wet signature contributes to paper consumption, transport emissions, and physical storage needs. By replacing wet signatures with electronic alternatives, VowTerra helps organisations eliminate unnecessary environmental impact from their document workflows.
A certification awarded by B Lab to companies that meet verified standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B-Corp certification requires companies to demonstrate responsible practices across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. VowTerra's paper-free signing and sustainability tracking directly contribute to the environmental performance metrics assessed during B-Corp certification and recertification.
The total amount of greenhouse gases produced directly and indirectly by an activity, organisation, or product, typically measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Document signing contributes to an organisation's carbon footprint through paper production, printing, transportation, and physical storage. VowTerra calculates and reports the carbon savings from every paperless signing transaction, helping organisations track their reduction in Scope 3 emissions.
The process of integrating digital technology into all areas of an organisation, fundamentally changing how it operates and delivers value. For mission-driven organisations, digital transformation must align with core values — efficiency gains should not come at the cost of ethical principles. VowTerra represents digital transformation that actively advances sustainability goals: every document signed digitally is a step toward a more sustainable operation.
A systematic process for evaluating the potential environmental effects of a proposed activity, plan, or policy before a decision is made. EIAs often generate extensive documentation requiring multiple signatures from assessors, reviewers, and decision-makers. VowTerra provides an appropriate channel for executing EIA documents electronically, reducing the environmental impact of the assessment process itself.
The practice of purchasing goods and services in a way that accounts for social, environmental, and ethical considerations alongside price and quality. Ethical procurement generates a significant volume of documentation — supplier codes of conduct, sustainability questionnaires, compliance certificates, and impact assessments — all requiring signatures. VowTerra enables organisations to manage procurement documentation electronically, aligning the signing process with the ethical values it represents.
The measurable decrease in paper consumption achieved by replacing physical document workflows with digital alternatives. The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year, and document signing is one of the most paper-intensive business processes. VowTerra tracks sheets saved, trees preserved, and water conserved for every digital signature, providing tangible metrics for sustainability reporting.
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in an organisation's value chain, both upstream (supply chain) and downstream (product use and disposal). Scope 3 typically accounts for the largest share of an organisation's carbon footprint but is the hardest to measure and reduce. Paper-based document signing contributes to Scope 3 through paper manufacturing, printing consumables, courier services, and waste disposal. VowTerra quantifies the Scope 3 reduction from every digital signature.
The degree to which information about a product's or service's journey through the supply chain is accessible and verifiable. Transparent supply chains require extensive documentation — supplier agreements, certifications, audit reports, and compliance declarations — all of which require signatures. VowTerra provides an auditable, paper-free channel for signing and storing supply chain documents, supporting transparency initiatives like the Modern Slavery Act reporting.
A publication disclosing an organisation's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, often aligned with frameworks such as GRI, SASB, or the UN Global Compact. Sustainability reports increasingly include metrics on digital transformation and paper reduction. VowTerra provides exportable signing statistics — documents signed, paper saved, carbon avoided — formatted for inclusion in sustainability reports.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — 17 interconnected global objectives adopted in 2015 to achieve a better and more sustainable future by 2030. Document signing relates to several SDGs: SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through paper reduction, SDG 13 (Climate Action) through carbon footprint reduction, and SDG 15 (Life on Land) through reduced deforestation. VowTerra maps your signing activity to specific SDG contributions.
A mid-tier electronic signature that provides stronger identity verification and tamper detection than a basic signature. AES is uniquely linked to the signer and can detect if a document has been changed after signing. For grant agreements, impact investment contracts, and sustainability commitments, AES provides a reliable level of assurance without the overhead of a qualified signature — and without any paper waste.
The EU regulation that gives electronic signatures legal standing across Europe, making it possible to sign agreements across borders without printing a single page. eIDAS (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services) ensures your electronically signed sustainability commitments, partnership agreements, and grant contracts are legally binding. VowTerra's compliance with eIDAS means your paperless signatures carry full legal weight.
Adherence to environmental, social, and governance standards and reporting requirements, increasingly mandated by regulators, investors, and stakeholders. ESG compliance requires organisations to measure, manage, and disclose their impact across all three pillars. VowTerra contributes to the environmental pillar through verifiable paper and carbon savings, and to the governance pillar through transparent, auditable document signing processes. Every signed document generates ESG-reportable metrics.
The US law that makes electronic signatures legally valid for commercial transactions, ensuring your digitally signed agreements are just as enforceable as paper ones. For international NGOs and social enterprises working with US partners or funders, the ESIGN Act provides confidence that paperless signing is fully legal. VowTerra helps you go paper-free without any legal uncertainty.
The gold standard of electronic signatures under European law, offering the same legal standing as a traditional handwritten signature. QES uses government-approved certificates to verify the signer's identity with the highest level of assurance. For sustainability commitments, treaty signatures, and high-stakes partnership agreements, QES provides the ultimate level of trust — all without any paper.
The simplest form of electronic signature — drawing your name on screen, typing it, or clicking an "I agree" button. SES is legally valid for the vast majority of business documents and is the fastest way to get agreements signed without paper. VowTerra uses SES as the default signing method, combining simplicity with comprehensive audit trails to ensure every signature is both easy and trustworthy.
The practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computing resources in an environmentally responsible manner. Green IT encompasses energy-efficient infrastructure, responsible e-waste management, and software design that minimises resource consumption. VowTerra's infrastructure is hosted on cloud providers committed to renewable energy, and our signing platform is optimised for minimal data transfer and processing to reduce its own environmental footprint.
A clever piece of maths that creates a unique digital fingerprint for every document. Change even one letter, and the fingerprint changes completely — making it immediately obvious if a document has been tampered with. VowTerra uses hash functions to protect the integrity of every agreement, ensuring your sustainability commitments and partnership contracts remain exactly as they were signed.
The encryption technology that makes digital signatures trustworthy. PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) uses paired cryptographic keys to verify that a signature is genuine and that a document hasn't been tampered with. While the technology is complex, VowTerra handles it seamlessly — so your team can focus on impact, not infrastructure.
A security feature that makes it instantly obvious if a signed document has been altered in any way. Like a wax seal on a letter, a tamper-evident seal shows that the contents are exactly as they were when signed. VowTerra applies these seals to every signed document, ensuring your sustainability pledges, contracts, and agreements remain trustworthy and verifiable.