In this dissertation, an exploration of the challenges of green production practices in the Irish pharma companies was researched. The study was constructed by the descriptive primary exploratory research design while a qualitative research method was applied to discover the in-depth knowledge from the decision-makers who are actually working in the Irish pharma companies. By this research, there are at least five (5) main objectives are comprehended, including the review of current state of green production practices in the Irish pharma companies, then the primary drivers and key barriers, next certain examples of green production implementations, last but not least, the recommendations for promoting and monitoring the green production practices overtime.

To achieve those aims, the interviews were organized by the participation of five (5) experts, including consultants, site heads, COO, and team leaders from the Irish pharma companies. the interviewees went over eight (8) research questions by which the deeper understanding about the issues were disclosed by the real experiences. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, then analyzed by method of thematic analysis. By this analysis tool, the answers were then categorized by the themes which were current state, primary drivers, key barriers, how to overcome, and recommendations. In the following, these five major themes shall be briefly summarized.

After the thematic analysis, there are five main themes. First of all, the current state of green production practices was explained. Ireland is one of the leading countries within the Europe in green production. Secondly, the next big theme is primary drivers. There are several drivers were found, including regulatory driver, financial driver, reputational driver, and company culture driver. All companies must apply green production to satisfy the environmental regulation. Subsequently, the primary drivers are also the key barriers. Successively, some specific examples to overcome the challenges are mentioned. Lastly, some recommendations are suggested by the interviewees to promote the green concepts and monitor the green practices over time.