In response to the mounting exposure of manufacturing industries to Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) supply risks, this study proposes a conceptual model that integrates sustainable practices, CRM supply risk exposure, and resilience performance through the lens of Resource Dependence Theory (RDT). Previous studies have typically approached these themes in isolation; however, the present study integrates them into a unified framework in order to elucidate how the adoption of sustainable practices can function as a deliberate response to resource dependencies, thereby enhancing firms’ performance. The model proposes CRM supply risk exposure as a mediating mechanism, theorizing that resilience does not emerge directly from sustainability adoption, but rather from the extent to which such practices reconfigure dependency structures. The model advances theoretical understanding by extending RDT into the domain of CRM-related risk and sustainable operations. Although the model has not been empirically tested in the present study, it establishes the foundation for future empirical validation using structural equation modelling techniques. By reframing CRM supply risk as a integrated construct that can be strategically managed, the study provides novel insights for scholars and practitioners interested in the interplay between sustainable supply chain management for CRMs, supply risk exposure and resilience performance.