Emissions of particle matter, heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) cause health issues to humans and other organisms. Air pollution is also linked to climate change and global warming. Reducing air pollution emissions is thus pivotal to the Nordic countries in many aspects. However, mitigation actions on greenhouse gas emissions may lead to increased air pollution emissions. Balanced political decisions to curb both greenhouse gas emissions and emissions of air pollution are thus essential to the Nordic countries. The foundation for making well-informed decisions on policies and measures are accurate and well-founded national emission inventories. This policy brief summarizes a Nordic collaboration to improve the knowledge base of the Nordics national emission inventories on heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants.