Supply contracts
Term, minimum volume, adjustment, exclusivity, penalties and termination. Contracts with large buyers usually shift risks that need to be negotiated.
Sector advisory · manufacturing
Legal advisory for manufacturers: supply, environment, workplace safety and products
Manufacturing concentrates risks other sectors do not have: environmental licenses, workplace accidents with criminal consequences, product liability and long-term supply contracts. The advisory follows the operation, not just the litigation.
Straight answer: the typical legal risks of a manufacturer
Risks fall on five fronts: environmental, with licenses, conditions, waste and strict liability for damage; labor and safety, with hazard and danger premiums, accidents and criminal liability of managers; contractual, with long-term supply, exclusivity, price adjustment and termination; product liability, with recalls, defects and consumer relations; and industrial property, with trademarks, patents and trade secrets. The advisory handles those fronts together.
This page is for small and mid-sized manufacturers in metalworking, food, chemicals, textiles, plastics and consumer goods in Brazil. We serve companies throughout the State of São Paulo, Brazil, with meetings at our Paulista or Tatuapé offices or by video call, and act before the São Paulo courts (TJSP), the labor courts (TRT-2, TRT-15), the federal court (TRF-3) and administrative bodies.
Work fronts in manufacturing advisory
Distribution and agency
Distribution and commercial agency agreements, with termination compensation rules and territorial exclusivity.
Environmental licensing
Obtaining and renewing licenses, meeting conditions, waste management and defense in infraction notices and conduct adjustment agreements.
Safety and accidents
Risk management programs, premiums, response to serious accidents and defense of managers in inquiries for bodily injury or negligent homicide.
Products and consumers
Liability for defects, recalls, labeling and handling complaints, with support in communications with consumer protection agencies.
Industrial property
Registration of trademarks and patents, technology contracts and protection of manufacturing secrets in agreements with employees and partners.
Where risk usually arises
Expired environmental condition
A valid license with an unmet condition is an infraction and may lead to an embargo. Deadline control is operational, not legal.
Serious accident without an organized response
In the first hours after an accident, notifying the authorities, preserving the site and supporting the worker define the civil and criminal course.
Supply contract without an adjustment clause
Long fixed-price contracts without a rebalancing trigger leave the manufacturer exposed to input price swings.
How the advisory works
1. Diagnosis
Map of licenses, contracts, labor liabilities and safety procedures.
2. Structuring
Review of contracts and policies, regulatory calendar and incident response protocol.
3. Defense and litigation
Action in infraction notices, labor suits, contract disputes and inquiries linked to operations.
Keep a single calendar with expiry dates of licenses, conditions, reports and mandatory training. Most manufacturing infraction notices come from missed deadlines, not wrong decisions.
Frequently asked questions from manufacturers
Is a manufacturer liable for environmental damage even without fault?
Yes. Environmental civil liability in Brazil is strict and joint, including damage caused by contracted third parties. In the criminal sphere, the legal entity itself may be held liable.
Can a director be criminally liable for a workplace accident?
Yes, if it is shown that they had a duty to ensure safety and failed to act. Effective risk management programs and training records are the main defense.
Can a supply contract be terminated because costs rose?
Only if the contract provides for it or there is excessive hardship due to an unforeseeable event, a narrowly applied doctrine. A sound approach is to include rebalancing triggers in the contract.
Official references and related pages
Brazilian rules of reference for manufacturing. Application depends on the sector, size and the plant's specific licenses.
Want a legal diagnosis of your plant?
Describe the plant, the contracts and the licenses through the secure channel. The screening identifies the priority fronts.