If we use a chocolate cookie as an analogy for mining, if we just wanted to extract all the chips possible, we probably wouldn't think of not damaging the cookie.
But if we wanted to reduce the impact, one technique may be to extract just the chips on the surface of the cookie, without breaking the cookie to reach the others.
If we take this to actual mining, this could be translated to mining just until a certain depth or avoiding areas of ecological importance. This may impact the costing by not giving as much profit or making more expensive the establishment of the mine, even if they could make the same profit, it would take them more time.